ASSESSMENT OF WATER QUALITY IN THE WHIPPANY RIVER NEAR MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY

The Whippany River runs through 16 miles of northern New Jersey. Out of the 69.3 sq mile watershed, we selected about 16 sq miles upstream from the Speedwell Lake outflow (US-202) that includes Morristown's recycling plant as well as Morris Township’s wastewater treatment plant. The goals of our study were to assess the nutrient status of the river and to determine whether runoff from the recycling plant carries any heavy metals into the river, such as lead, copper, and iron. We selected five sites for water sampling, upstream and downstream from the water treatment and recycling plants for about one mile along the river. One-liter water samples were collected using a grab-sampling method at each site once a month in the summer of 2022. Electrical conductivity, pH, temperature, and turbidity were measured on-site, then the samples were divided into four aliquots. Two unfiltered sub-samples were preserved for total nutrient analysis and heavy metal analysis, and two aliquots were filtered to determine dissolved nutrients and heavy metals. These components were measured using atomic absorption spectroscopy, ion chromatography, and spectrophotometry. The preliminary results indicate an increase in chloride, nitrate, and sulfate concentrations from the main tributary and downstream from the water treatment and recycling plants. The pH values range between 7.2 and 7.8, with a small variation spatially and temporally, resulting in insignificant concentrations of dissolved metals. Water samples were collected after a rain event in August, which increased the suspended sediment concentrations (turbidity) in the river by 10 times compared to June and July. We expect that the higher turbidity coincides with elevated particulate metals and phosphorus transport to the river system. Further monitoring and assessment are needed to understand the impact of rain events, increased runoff, and anthropogenic activities on the water quality of this human-altered landscape.